Father and Son study Biotechnology together at VGCC
Many people associate going to college with leaving home and being away from their parents, their children, or other relatives. But a father and son from Oxford have been studying together at Vance-Granville Community College. Manny Melendez and his son, Jason Melendez, are more than half-way through their simultaneous effort to earn associate degrees in Bioprocess Technology .
A 52-year-old native of the Bronx in New York City, Manny Melendez already has a four-year degree in accounting. He was looking for a new career, and happened to read a newspaper article about VGCC’s Bioprocess program. “I thought bioprocessing would be good, because it’s a growing industry in North Carolina,” Melendez said. He showed the article to his 22-year-old son, Jason, who had considered a career in digital animation but decided that there was more opportunity in the biotechnology field. Both enrolled, and Manny also decided to double-major in Business Administration/Operations Management , which he believes will allow him to be involved in not only production and research but also management in the industry. The elder Melendez has continued to work during the day, taking his college courses at night and online.
Manny said it has been interesting being in the same classes as his son. “Some of our classmates say, ‘That’s good, because your son can help you,’ but I have to correct them, ‘No, I’m helping him!” he said with a laugh.
“The program is really interesting, because you learn something new every week,” Jason remarked. “It keeps your mind going non-stop.” They agree that their associate degrees will afford them a wide range of possibilities. Jason would like to do experimental research in hopes of finding cures for diseases, while Manny hopes to work in the state’s burgeoning biofuels industry. Either way, Manny said, they have been prepared by VGCC and its state-of-the-art laboratory. “The lab has just about every piece of equipment you’d find at any research center, production facility, or university,” he said. “I don’t feel we’ll have any trouble finding employment in the industry. And North Carolina is the place to be for biotechnology.”
VGCC’s Bioprocess Technology curriculum is designed to prepare individuals to work as process operators in facilities that manufacture biological products. Fall classes in Bioprocess Technology and other curriculum programs begin Aug. 19.
Above: From left, Jason Melendez and his father, Manny, train in the Biotechnology lab on VGCC’s Main Campus. (VGCC photo)
